The Longest Day

Rating: 7/10 (15 September 2011)

I had mostly heard about this war film for having a good number of big stars in it, only two or three that I definitely could confirm, and there was no chance I was going to miss the opportunity to see if they all made a good choice. Basically, set in World War II, June 1944, around the time of the D-Day landings in Normandy, seen from the perspectives of the Americans, the British, the French and also the Germans. Many various characters to watch as they follow strategies and fight their way through the operations and battles, including in towns and villages, in Calais, in the air and on sea, on the Channel, on Omaha Beach and much more. Starring Richard Burton as Flying Officer David Campbell, John Wayne as Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort, Robert Mitchum as Brig. Gen. Norman Cota, Henry Fonda as Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Sir Sean Connery as Pvt. Flanagan, The Spy Who Loved Me's Curt Jürgens as Maj. Gen. Gunther Blumentritt, Reach for the Sky's Kenneth More as Capt. Colin Maud, Roddy McDowall as Pvt. Morris, Rod Steiger as Destroyer Commander, Peter Lawford as Lord Lovat, Richard Todd as Maj. John Howard, singer Paul Anka as U.S. Army Ranger, Red Buttons as Pvt. John Steele, Goldfinger's Gert Fröbe as Sgt. Kaffekanne, Leslie Phillips as RAF Officer Mac, Fun with Dick and Jane's George Segal as U.S. Army Ranger and Austin Powers' Robert Wagner as U.S. Army Ranger. I can't say much about the story, because there was so much going on, obviously all the performances in the four perspectives are all well done, and all the fight sequences filled with gun fire, some flying and bombings are pretty exciting, the film does nearly go on for three hours, but overall a rather watchable Second World War drama. It won the Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Special Effects, and it was nominated for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Film Editing and Best Picture, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Cinematography, and it was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama. It was number 20 on The 100 Greatest War Films. Very good!